Moving out and closing accounts

mac09

Hi guys

Moving out at the end of the month and obviously closing esb and gas accounts on the 30th of this month. the landlord is coming around also on the 30th to look at the property and return the deposit.

Whats the best way to prove that the bills are up to date as the accounts will only be closed on that day, not sure if esb or bord gais will send an email confirming that bills are paid.

Cheers for any help

J-blk

You need to get meter ratings on the day you are moving out, you can do this with the landlord so that you both confirm the figures. After that, you can call the ESB and Bord Gáis to close off the accounts - you could do that with the landlord present if you like, though you may not want him/her to hear you giving out your forwarding address (which both companies will require to send you your last bill).

If the accounts are in your name though and you've confirmed the reading with the landlord, he/she has nothing to lose if you don't close them, as the ESB and Bord Gáis would chase you up for any amount outstanding until you properly close/transfer your accounts with them.

mac09

J-blk wrote: »

You need to get meter ratings on the day you are moving out, you can do this with the landlord so that you both confirm the figures. After that, you can call the ESB and Bord Gáis to close off the accounts - you could do that with the landlord present if you like, though you may not want him/her to hear you giving out your forwarding address (which both companies will require to send you your last bill).

If the accounts are in your name though and you've confirmed the reading with the landlord, he/she has nothing to lose if you don't close them, as the ESB and Bord Gáis would chase you up for any amount outstanding until you properly close/transfer your accounts with them.

yeah they are in my name. So nothing to concern the landlord then anyway.

J-blk

mac09 wrote: »

yeah they are in my name. So nothing to concern the landlord then anyway.

Yep, you'll be in trouble if bills are unpaid, not the landlord. But do confirm the meter readings with him/her, for your own sake as well, as this establishes the point up to which you should pay. But it's all on you to close/transfer the accounts and shouldn't concern the landlord too much.

mac09

Have taken readings (caretaker took them and signed them) and closed accounts. Have given landlord acc no and numbers to confirm esb and gas are closed. they wont give him any info as he isnt the account holder and says he is withholding 200 from deposit to cover any possible outstanding bills.

Where do i stand on this from a legal point of view, can the landlord do this? Any other suggestions.

J-blk

No he can't do this. I mean what the heck? The deposit is for covering damage above normal wear & tear or proven unpaid bills (and even then, only if the bills were in his name, not yours), etc.

First off, he is basically accusing you of not paying your bills? Based on what exactly? Like I said, the ESB, etc would chase you for the outstanding amounts, not him. If the bills were in his name, fair enough, he might need some form of security that the bills will be paid but that does not apply here. And lets say an unpaid bill arrives for you at that address next month (which won't happen since you gave a forwarding address I imagine to the utility companies)... He is under no obligation to pay it, his name is not on the bill. He could spend your €200 on whatever he likes and the ESB would still chase you up, not him.


Contact Threshold for more information: http://www.threshold.ie/.

You can also raise a dispute with the PRTB (and inform him of this if he will not budge) even if he never registered you: http://prtb.ie/. This is a very long and drawn out process though but TBH, he sounds like another chancer and I wouldn't let it slide, even if it was for a tenner... The deposit is there to cover actual losses/damages to the landlord's property, not "possible" outstanding bills.

mac09

hope the above info is correct as im going to be talking to him soon and obviously ptrb and threshold are shut

J-blk

Well it is common sense too - you're the account holder, you're responsible for money owned to the utility companies, not him. Surely he should be able to understand that? It's more in your best interest to close the accounts promptly than his TBH...

And even though it is not exhaustive, take a look at this:

The landlord must return promptly any deposit paid by the tenant. The deposit may be retained or deductions made where there are 1) rent arrears or 2) costs incurred to repair damage above normal wear and tear. Advertising or reletting costs are not normally valid reasons for withholding a deposit. It is illegal for a landlord to hold tenant's goods in lieu of money owed. A tenant risks losing their deposit if they break a lease without grounds in the lease or Residential Tenancies Act.

If you feel that your deposit has been unfairly withheld, you can make an application to the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB).

http://www.threshold.ie/page.asp?menu=70&page=240

See any mention of bills? Nope...

In any case, stand your ground, too many landlords seem to think they are entitled to keep the deposit or parts of for whatever reason they feel like.

I'm also surprised that nobody else has posted in this thread, there are definitely many more knowledgeable people than me on this forum, but like I said, even common sense should indicate that the bills are your responsibility while still in your name anyway...

Macha

On a slightly related topic, I wonder if anyone can tell me if as a renter, you have the right to choose your utility providers? In other words, if the current electricity provider is ESB, does the renter have the right to change it to Aitricity? Same thing for gas & telephone.

Ste.phen

taconnol wrote: »

On a slightly related topic, I wonder if anyone can tell me if as a renter, you have the right to choose your utility providers? In other words, if the current electricity provider is ESB, does the renter have the right to change it to Aitricity? Same thing for gas & telephone.

I imagine yes, but if your moving to another provider causes any financial loss to the landlord (e.g. if he had to pay to move it back to the first provider) then you'd probably be liable for that. That said, i'm not sure any of the providers charge such a fee

Xiney

taconnol wrote: »

On a slightly related topic, I wonder if anyone can tell me if as a renter, you have the right to choose your utility providers? In other words, if the current electricity provider is ESB, does the renter have the right to change it to Aitricity? Same thing for gas & telephone.

Yes - we are renting and we are with airtricity for electricity and we are with digiweb for our internet and phone.

It is up to the bill payer to decide which provider to use.

Xiney

Ste.phen wrote: »

I imagine yes, but if your moving to another provider causes any financial loss to the landlord (e.g. if he had to pay to move it back to the first provider) then you'd probably be liable for that. That said, i'm not sure any of the providers charge such a fee

he wouldn't have to pay anything more than opening a new account in his name, which would happen regardless of who the previous tenant was connected through.